Your team at Disability Action Advocates places the highest priority on the health and safety of our clients and staff. We are ready and able to handle all necessary appointments via email, telephone or video call, from start to finish of your case, including your disability hearing (should the need arise).

Disability Benefits: Drug Addictions

Are you unable to work because of a drug addiction?

When an addiction to drugs or alcohol becomes severe, it can significantly hinder an individual's ability to maintain regular employment. Those who are addicted to drugs over a long period of time can suffer a host of diseases, including lung problems, depression, chronic pulmonary conditions, insomnia, collapsed veins, abdominal problems and more. At the Social Security Administration (SSA), substance abuse is not considered to be a legitimate reason to receive disability benefits unless irreversible medical conditions result from that abuse.

If you have been medically diagnosed with a drug addiction, keep in mind that the SSA cannot hold this against you when you file for disability benefits for a mental or physical condition that is not related to drug abuse. Here at Disability Action Advocates, we have years of experience handling disability claims on the behalf of a wide variety of workers in the Sacramento area. Not only do we have the legal knowledge you need to succeed with a claim, we genuinely care about you and your future.

Contact a Social Security Disability lawyer today at (888) 421-8705.

Qualifying for Disability Benefits

Our team of Social Security disability attorneys can help you start the application process by filing a claim with the SSA on your behalf. The SSA reviews all claims for disability in the same manner, and your claim will not be discriminated against simply because you have an addiction. Unfortunately, the SSA will deny your claim if they can determine that your condition will go away once you stop abusing drugs or alcohol. The basic requirements for a disability claim state that your condition must last for at least one year and severely impact your ability to work. The Substance Addiction Disorders section of the Social Security guidelines acknowledges that drug addiction can cause changes in one's behavior or physical health.

The drug can be any prescription or illegal drug that has affected one's central nervous system and additional criteria must be met in order for a worker to qualify for disability benefits under one of the following conditions:

  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Seizures
  • Liver damage
  • Personality disorders
  • Gastritis
  • Organic mental disorders

Sacramento SSD Attorney Representing Your Rights

Here at DAA, we are intimately familiar with the tactics and strategies that can be used to secure benefits on your behalf. We know that the SSA will need to determine that quitting drugs will fail to improve your condition. For example, if you are suffering advanced liver failure that was caused by drug abuse, your condition will not improve by stopping the drug use. In most cases, the SSA will use a drug/alcohol addiction (DAA) evaluation to determine if this is the case.

If you have been successful in recovering disability benefits and the SSA has reason to believe that you are still addicted to drugs, you may be required to attend treatment for drug addiction. The SSA also commonly requires addicts to have a representative payee who receives your Social Security benefits and manages your payments. This person can be anyone who you trust, such as an organization or parent, someone who will ensure that you don't spend the money on the abused substance.

Call Disability Action Advocates Today at (888) 421-8705

Our firm can help you through this process by gathering the medical evidence you need to win your claim. Individuals with diagnoses for mental illnesses will need to furnish a detailed history of any hospitalizations, a psychiatric report, contact information for any treating physicians, status reports on your mental health, and more. This can be overwhelming, especially for those who are dealing with serious conditions, and we are here to help you during this tough time.

Contact Disability Action Advocates today at (888) 421-8705 to learn more about how we can help you.

Get Started

Contact Disability Action Advocates today by calling (888) 421-8705 or filling out the form below.

    • Please enter your name.
    • This isn't a valid phone number.
      Please enter your phone number.
    • This isn't a valid email address.
      Please enter your email address.
    • Please make a selection.
    • Please enter a message.
Put Us On Your Side